


Like the Sea

by DanElliot



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 08:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanElliot/pseuds/DanElliot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Lady Inquisitor was just like the sea. She was calm and quiet, but also fierce and powerful. (Human!Cole, need to think in a better summary)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunny Days

The Herald of Andraste. The Inquisitor, _their_ Inquisitor. Such powerful titles certainly didn’t fit that small woman, yet she was the one who survived everything, all the perils and probations the world had thrown at her. She never turned away, she never flinched or ran away, and maybe that was why he was always too curious about her. Marianne Trevelyan was an enigma, some kind of puzzle he couldn’t grasp or understand completely.

She hurt like everyone else. She had knots and scars deep inside, some marred and old, but still bleeding. He could hear them sometimes, when his own hurts were too quiet and she was too loud. _I’m scared, I’m tired. What if I can’t do it anymore? What if I can’t save them? What if Corypheus wins? What if…_ And sometimes she’d push those knots deeper and deeper only to help someone else.

To Cole, she was just like the ocean they were facing in the Storm Coast that week. Sometimes she was calm and quiet, like the soft waves kissing rocks and sand during sunny days. Sometimes she’d become fierce like a storm, so strong and powerful that no one could handle her. She’d fight and she’d come back victorious once more, and she’d make them believe they could win the war.

The Inquisitor was different from the others. She wasn’t scared of him, she didn’t call him “monster” or “demon”. She called him _friend_ , just like Solas and Varric. She cared for him. She trusted him. She didn’t make him go away when he started following her everywhere, watching over her all the time. She told him her secrets, her fears. She allowed him to help with her hurts. She was still hurt, but better. Bright, blazing, beautiful.

She protected him as much as he protected her. She scolded Vivienne when the First Enchanter said something cruel about him. She helped him when he grew confuse, hurt for being more human. She was there for him when he couldn’t decide, couldn’t forgive nor forget. She showed him the right path to take, and because of her he was more. He was Cole, and he was real. But the hurts were also real. It hurt all the time now, thoughts and memories all too clear, too loud, too terrifying.

And then she found him hiding on his tent, trembling, trying to hide the tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t want her to think he was weak. He was scared she’d turn away because he couldn’t understand, couldn’t make the hurts within stop burning. He didn’t want to lose her. _Sweet, soft, strong… Can’t hurt her, can’t lose her. Not her, not her. Leave me, leave me. Please go away, go away. I’m strong, I am. I am me and I’m strong…_

But she didn’t go away. She smiled, pulled his hat away. Her fingers were soft when she cupped his face, gently making him stare at her. For a moment she said nothing, a quiet hurt on her emerald eyes as she noticed his tears, and then he was nestled against her chest, arms wrapped around his body, not allowing him to escape, to try to hide again.

“It’s okay, Cole.” Marianne said, her voice as smooth as calm waves again. He liked the waves when they were crossing the beach, and he liked when she held him so gently. Her lips were warm when she kissed his forehead, her fingers were kind when she brushed his messed hair away from his eyes. “It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be scared. No one is made this strong.”

“Not even you?”

“Not even me.”

_Precious, pure, scared. No one will hurt him. I’ll protect him, I’ll keep him safe._ He relaxed at her sweet thoughts, eyes closed as his head rest on the curve of her neck. Her fingers brushed his hair once more, a quiet humming coming from her chest. He felt complete. He was real but with her he was more real, more human. He couldn’t understand that, why he always felt like that when she was around but he liked it. It was a good feeling. It hurt in a good way.

Maybe he should ask Varric about that later.


	2. Chapter 2

“White and pure, just like snow. I think it’s really pretty. You’re beautiful.”

He felt a curious twist on his stomach when she smiled, believing in his sweet, caring words. She had been thinking bad things about herself, about how “ugly” her white hair made her look, and he wanted those thoughts to disappear. She was beautiful, and he liked her the way she was. Those were old hurts, yet sometimes they’d come back from the depths of her memories and make her shiver and doubt herself. Cole wanted to protect her from everything, to make her forget the cruel words Templars told her during her time on the Circle.

 _I wish he’d hug me, keep me safe and warm just like I do. Healing, helping, holding._ And for a moment he hesitated. She wanted that and Cole wanted to make her happy, yet he knew how the others could hurt her with their rude words. Sera would make fun of her or Vivienne would scold her for being too close with a “demon”, but he was no demon. No more, and never again. And then he remembered. Vivienne and Sera weren’t there this time. No, The Iron Bull and Varric were there instead, making funny jokes or telling curious stories. They tried to help him with strange words that barely made sense to him and would casually bring an adorable blush to the Inquisitor’s cheeks when she was close enough to hear them. They wouldn’t hurt her. The fingers that were braiding her hair retreated, arms slowly getting wrapped around her in a tight, protective hug. For a moment he felt her fragile body getting tense, then relaxing, head resting against his shoulder.

The Iron Bull laughed and said something he didn’t quite understand in that moment, too busy in burying his head on her beautiful hair. She smelled like a warm breeze of spring, and he liked it. He felt her hands on his, noticed how small she really was, even if sometimes she tried to stand taller. Their fingers got intertwined, her warm skin against his. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was warm too, but it never felt like _her_ warmth. Maybe it was the Anchor, the same thing that made her too bright, too confused, too hurt…

 _Can’t let them hurt her anymore, won’t let them, never again. Mine to save, to heal, to hold._ But she wasn’t really his. She was there, she enjoyed his help, his protection but she wasn’t his.

Solas had told him that it was wrong, that nothing should ever happen between them but a simple, innocent friendship. The elf had told him the things he was feeling were nothing more than a confusion, that soon would pass, that she’d never see him the way he wanted her to see him. But Varric said otherwise. The dwarf was loud, but his laugh was gentle as his tap on Cole’s shoulder. Varric told him that was a thing called “love”, that no one would be able to explain that completely. He said nice things, made Cole believe he could really belong, that she wouldn’t turn away. The Iron Bull was nice too, trying to show him how to… flirt. It didn’t work very well, but the Inquisitor giggled and kissed his cheek whenever he tried.

But now everything was mixed and twisted in his mind. He knew Solas was right. He was a confused spirit-human-boy, she was the Inquisitor. Cole didn’t belong there, but he had no other place. The Fade wasn’t his home anymore. She had a whole world to save, to change and she had no doubts about her fate. He could barely understand what was happening to his own hurts and knots. His grip tightned around her body before he could notice, his mind too loud again. _Stolen face, stolen body, stolen mind. No, no, no… I am Cole, I am me. Can’t let her see, can’t let her go away…_ He didn’t listen to her worried voice calling for him, he didn’t notice when she escaped her arms and tried to touch his face. His free hands quickly grabbed his hat, pulling it against his head, trying to hide again. He couldn’t make her forget. He never could.

“Cole, what’s wrong?” Between his loud thoughts, he could listen the sweet, soft song humming from her. She was scared, worried. She didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t want to make him suffer but it wasn’t her fault. She helped, but she didn’t believe. “Dear, talk to me. Did I upset you? I’m sorry--”

“No! Don’t be!” His voice was sharp, twisted in his own throat as he fought the tears, forcing them back because he didn’t want to look weak, pathetic again. “Loud, loose, lost again. I can’t, I can’t… Wrong, wrong. Feels right, feels warm but Solas says it’s wrong! He says I’ll hurt you and I can’t! I can’t hurt you, can’t lose you! Not you...”

The Inquisitor’s grip on his chin was cautious, yet firm. His hands fell on his side when she lift his face, his eyes focused on hers. She was beautiful, burning like the very sun. She was loud again, louder than him, louder than anyone else he had ever glimpsed. _Won’t let go, will never let go. Lies within lies, it sickens me. How could he? He feels just like everyone. He’s more. He’s no one but himself._

“I don’t give a shit about what Solas says. He’s wrong.”

“But what if he’s right?” Cole could feel himself trembling. He had thought about that many times before, for days he struggled to find an answer but he never found one. Now the fear grew bigger, making his heart pump against his chest painfully. “What if it turns me into a demon? I don’t want to be like that again, never again!”

“It’ll never happen. There’s a reason the amulet didn’t work on you. You’re human now, you won’t turn into a demon.”

“But…”

“Remember, Cole? You don’t have to. None of this is real unless you let it to be.”

She _remembered_. It made his chest lighter, enlightened. He had thought she wouldn’t remember, but she did. His words had saved her, freed her from Envy and she was trying to do the same, even if she couldn’t listen to his song. And he believed her. She was the only light he needed to follow, to believe. Solas and his jealous doubts wouldn’t confuse him, and even if his fears were loud Cole was sure she’d be there to protect him. It took a long, painful moment but finally their lips met. He was slow, confused. It felt good, her lips felt right and the twist on his stomach seemed only to grow in a wonderful kind of hurt. If that was wrong, he didn’t care anymore. His hands found her back, brought her close into his arms, against his chest. Her lips were sweet, just like strawberries. He liked it, and he wanted more.

A swift, sudden noise forced them to break the kiss, but Marianne didn’t move from his arms as he had expected. A gasp escaped her, eyes widened in surprise and pain. Something warm trickled down his hands, a familiar scent filling his nose. And when he finally noticed, it was too late. _No no no NO!_

But Cole had no time to do something. The next second, everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I just hope you guys enjoy it!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first DA:I fanfic and it's been a while since I wrote something. I'm sorry! ( ≧Д≦)


End file.
